Maintaining the All Black legacy

Once upon a dark, starry night the rugby gods assembled to create the ultimate weapon. They had been watching rugby’s progenitors battle it out, still inventing the game as they went along and they were pleased, but not overly satisfied.

“Our game is coming along quite nicely isn’t it?” One of the gods remarked.

“Indeed it is.” said the other while examining the rugby being played down below. “Truly t’will become the greatest sport in the world!”

“Aye, that be true!” the first replied in a joyful voice before his expression turned to a calculating focus. “But if it is truly to become the sport they play in heaven then surely we must have an ambassador no? A weapon designed by the rugby gods themselves to show these mere mortals how the game must be played?”

“A good idea William!” a third celestial being called. “What doth thee have in mind sir Ellis?”

The host of gods turned towards him curiously awaiting his answer. Whatever it was he had clearly thought it through vigorously. The confidence in his voice spoke of a master plan, genius and intricate. A plan that will change the game forever.

After divulging his plot the gods spared no time putting it into motion.

They ascended toward the constellations and started rearranging them to fit their will. Among the empty, black vastness of space they drew a mighty silver fern with the stars, imprinting this rugby symbol forever into the heavens for all to see.

Down below they began forging this weapon, this masterpiece in the fires of Mount Doom using only the strongest of steel. But this metal was not only strong, it was supple, fast, mobile and in the hands of it’s wielder capable of awe inspiring skill. of which the world has never seen before.

After much deliberation of measuring the quantities of molten steel the gods then separated it into 15 equal shares and stored it in the icy caverns of the Tasman. The gods then took 15 stars from the mighty silver fern that illuminated the black void and placed it in these cauldrons of godly steel and awaited patiently for their weapons to be ready.

After years and years of moulding the time was finally nigh. The time had come to unleash this unstoppable force upon the world.

And thus the New Zealand All Blacks were born.

So back to reality. This introduction is an enormous exaggeration derived from fiction of the All Blacks’ origins but let’s be brutally honest, sometimes you get the feeling that there is something supernatural about them. They are just that good.

The All Blacks have been the premier side in world rugby for the past few decades and possess every single accolade they could get their hands on. They have held the World Cup, Tri Nations, Rugby Championship and Super Rugby titles on numerous occasions and boast winning records against every single rugby nation in the world.

It has a kind of fictitious feel to it. Even the grounds in New Zealand have a dark tone to it and to top it all off you find yourself in the middle of a sea of black underneath the starlit sky.

Then you face the iconic war cry.

It’s a morbid setting to face up against, I can see why almost everyone finds New Zealand as such an intimidating place to play at.

But the burning question everyone asks is one that I myself can’t pin down. How do they maintain this glorious legacy?

Is it superior internal systems that assures the continuation of raw, uncompromising talent to come through? Is it superior planning concocted by masterful tacticians that assures that the team stays two steps ahead of the opposition? What makes the All Blacks such a well oiled machine?

One can only speculate as we will never truly know but for me what sets them apart from the rest is their management. It is plain to see that the powers that be have their players’ best interests at heart. One cannot underestimate the influence something like that has on a player’s performance.

But another thing that I find that no one mentions is that the All Blacks are currently the best tactical kicking side in the world, something you would normally credit to either the Springboks or England.

It has been said that the All Blacks kick more than any other side in the world and it is true, the stats confirm this. It’s folly to believe that the All Blacks run everything to kingdom come.

They know when to kick and when to run the ball. They vigorously switch between an open game and a constructive game. Just because the All Blacks kick a lot does not mean that they are a low risk, sterile team.

They have learned from past mistakes. In the past you would see the Men in Black have a go from almost everywhere and this cost them in the big games. Now they use a good tactical kick to relieve pressure but that also does not mean that they don’t run from deep anymore.

The All Blacks are excellent in terms of balance. When to run and when to kick. When to implement a close quarter forward drive and when to send it down their impressive back division. When to offload and when to hold onto the ball.

This might highlight the great secret to their success.

The All Blacks never stand still. They try to evolve their game to counter shortages exposed in previous games. Like in 2009 when the Springboks demolished them with high kicks at their back three. What they did in retaliation was simple, they brought in players with exceptional aerial skills and nullified that shortage to their game.

What also needs to be lamented is their defence. Prior to the Ellis Park game last year the All Blacks hadn’t conceded four tries in one game in years. This tell us a lot about their success.

The Blacks knew that a dangerous attacking game would always be their first pick in their arsenal but to play the game with that intent you need an equally efficient defensive system.

Though they are the best team in the world they refuse to idle. They seek perfection with every single game they play.

I want to throw the controller at the TV whenever they score against my beloved Springboks but other than that the All Blacks are the most likeable team in the world not because they have a good personality but because they play the game the way we all want to see it.

Most believe that the All Blacks cannot improve. I believe this to be false. As I mentioned earlier the All Blacks seek perfection. And luckily for them they are only human after all so they will make mistakes.

Mistakes mean that the game was not perfect and so they will have something to work on or to better. If they knock the ball on five times a Saturday they will want to knock it on only three times the next.

Perfection is beyond their reach but still they search for it and as such will maintain their hunger to better their game.

Can the All Blacks go through this year unbeaten again? They certainly can and they will certainly try.

They face a great Wallaby team this weekend at Auckland and will look to better themselves yet again.

Richie McCaw’s mission is simple. To maintain the All Black legacy.